Draft: America's 100 best beer bars, 2015

Unfortunate, because Tap & Bottle in Tucson should be on there. 1702 was there last year but got nixed. I agree as I wasn't impressed.

I would pick The Butcher and Boar over Republic because the food is so damn good.

Agreed, but curious what you would have excluded/included.

Proletariat is far and away my favorite spot to hit in the city. The tap list is always interesting, chockfull of unique beers, and they do a good job of offering different pricing points so you can afford to drink there. I found Jimmy's and The Gingerman to be a bit run-of-the-mill.

I always wish Draft would specify some criteria, because a lot of these spots I really have to question. I've been to 17 on the list, but I wouldn't say half of those 17 deserve to be included.

 

Yeah, Max's is amazing. It's got everything a great bar should have: huge taplist, which is always up to date on the website, plenty of space to sit, and bottles-to-go.

Nice to see that The Brewer's Art got a shout-out. Their beer is definitely excellent, but I found their taproom on Charles St to be one of the finest establishments anywhere. It's not a bar, and it's not one of these quaint, out-of-the-way rustic places; it's an upscale restaurant - a fine place for a friendly gathering.

Not too sure about that. Rattle is a large space with outstanding events. Can't complain about 40 taps either.

 

RnH for me is in a similar boat as Gingerman. They're both big mid-town beer bars, and agreed they both put on some great events. But on a "normal" day, both their selection and atmosphere can be pretty uninspiring.

 

Since there were 10 from NYC, my personal 10 (bars only - some of their choices are really stores) would be (in no order):

Owl Farm
Double Windsor
Bar Great Harry
Mission Dolores
Spuyten
Jimmy's 43
One Mile House
Torst
The Diamond
Proletariat

There are about 5-10 others which could be mentioned as well, none of which were on their list (other than The Jeffrey)

Of course people look for different things from bars - not all of my choices are based solely on beer selection, and it is admittedly a bit Brooklyn-heavy

 

Go Beer Run! Glad to see it hit the list.

 

Definitely hear. Add Beer Authority to the same category. The key for me is that I can hit those places during lunch since they're walking distance from my office. Ginger Man is about a 12 minute walk, so I could easily toss a few back. Remember when they had that epic Bruery event? I went 2 days in a row and tried about 11 different beers. After hours I'm sure it was a zoo, but it was an absolute pleasure during lunchtime.

 

Yeah that Bruery event was the absolute nuts!

 

I was about to say that there's definitely a lot of Brooklyn on there. As a city boy, I'm a bit intimidated by the Bklyn scene, and I don't get out there much at all. That being said, I think Mission Dolores is a crazy cool place, and BGH has that library in the back (am I right about that one?), which makes it a cozy spot. Torst is a really upscale place, and those are nice to have around.

Re: The Jeffrey - they definitely get a nice taplist there, but the bar area is way too cramped. If these places want to have bonkers taplists and attract upper class NY patrons, they best get their acts together. I'll only hit The Jeffrey or Blind Tiger if they have something truly exciting on the list, like when Blind Tiger had Iris at their VSK event. RnH, Ginger Man, and Beer Authority might get crazy after hours, but at least there's room to spread out. Even when Beer Authority tapped CBS a couple of weeks ago, I was able to drink my pour very comfortably once I left the bar area. I don't mind dealing with a loud, crowded bar and having to fight my way through to get my pour as long as I can drink in comfort afterwards.

 

I would have loved to visit the top four you listed there as they along with Spuyten were on my radar and I'd been following their Twitter feeds and seeing lots of good beers go on tap. Can't remember which, but one of them tapped a Cantillon and 3F on New Year's or the day after. Almost ran out of the house to BK.

Spuyten disappointed though. The beer list wasn't incredibly impressive and the bottles were severely overpriced. Plus it was pretty cramped. I can see how it could have a relaxing atmosphere and coziness, but I'm curious as to what the appeal is there overall.

 

Having been to Beer Run multiple times, their inclusion on these lists absolutely baffles me. I really don't get it. The last time I was there last summer, the most interesting beer they had on was Troegs Sunshine Pils (seriously). I've been underwhelmed every single time. The fact that they made it and Mekong didn't is a crime against beermanity.

Went to Rattle n Hum for the 2nd time in December and that one baffles me too. The events are apparently great, but they had just done 2 different tap takeovers, and those were basically the only beers on. Wasn't really interested in the Troegs mainline beers or some small NY brewery (several drainpours). The bottle list was dismal as well. Gingerman and Blind Tiger blew it out of the water.

Overall the list is pretty solid. Small quibbles but oh well.

 

I believe Torst was pouring Fou'Foune (from bottles?) on New Years. Wish I were in town.

 

I definitely don't get the appeal of Blind Tiger other than VSK and the occasional rare keg. Was in there on Monday around 1PM looking for a last couple of gems before leaving NYC and the tap list was pretty unremarkable. On top of that, I ordered a Cajun mac and cheese and what they served seemed like Kraft mac and cheese straight from the box with a little cayenne pepper sprinkled in.

 

For those with their panties in a bunch: http://draftmag.com/beer-bar-faq/

Subjective yes, but definitely explains the lack of appearance for some good spots. I'm largely in agreement here in CO - there's no way they can include everything, but those they did include are pretty great.

 

Definitely agree about the Jeffrey, it's super cramped in there all the time, much rather go to their other bar Fools Gold which is a lot less cramped. Same with Blind Tiger, I have only actually drank there twice, every time I stopped by its super cramped. They have good beers and food, wish they would expand a little because I would definitely try to make it more often. My favorite bars in NYC are:
1-Coopers
2-Top Hops
3-One Mile

 

And 1 from St. Paul, The Happy Gnome.

 

Hay Merchant is probably the best beer bar in the state... who have you heard bagging on it?

 

Glad to see my 2 favorite spots in Chicago, Hopleaf and The Local Option included. And my favorite bar in the burbs, Firkin.

 

Does St. Paul count? :-)

 

Congratulations Armsby Abbey, another year on the list!!

 

The Surly Goat in West Hollywood has no nearby parking other than hard-to-find, metered street parking and is ill-served by public transit. I've been there once and it was enough for me.

Tony's Darts Away was great when they first opened, but standing in line for ten minutes to get a small pour and then have to hover along with a couple of dozen others to get a place to sit is not my idea of a good time. I do still like Tony's and try to go when it's not so crowded, but...

In the LA area, I'd much rather hit up Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood (excellent food, well-curated tap menu, free street parking within a few blocks, a pay lot literally next door, subway two blocks away), Burbank's Story Tavern (nice decor, large and well thought-out draft list, relaxed vibe, plentiful free parking nearby) or Sherman Oaks' Boneyard Bistro (again with the easy parking, really good tap list and outstanding food).

I'd also place Alhambra's 38 Degrees, The Golden Road Brewery, Glendale Tap, Father's Office, West 4th and Jane and literally a dozen or more other bars and restaurants in the "better than Surly Goat or Tony's" category.

Again, just to be clear, I don't dislike Surly Goat or Tony's; it's just that there are so many better options in the LA area.